Lisa Cox is an internationally respected disability advocates with a collaborative and solutions-focused approach to change. She’s also an author, business consultant and media professional committed to improving the representation of disability in mainstream popular culture, like advertising, marketing, media and other influential industries that create stereotypes and shape social attitudes. Lisa has been leading conversations around the importance of representation and inclusion, to date she has collaborated with peak disability organisations, national and international groups plus individuals who share her vision for real results.
Lisa won gold at the 2021 International Stevie Business Awards for Communications Professional of the Year. Plus, Silver awards for Social Changemaker of the Year and Most Innovative Woman of the Year (NGO). She is also the Queensland recipient for the 2022 Excellence in Women’s Leadership award.
Lisa is a Disability Affairs Officer at Media Diversity Australia and her work have been featured in national and international publications such as The Australian, FOX, Sydney Morning Herald, CNN, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Huff Post.
‘I celebrated my 25th and 26th birthdays in hospital and due to the nature of my disabilities and other reasons for being in hospital, which included a stroke at the age of 24 and a hip replacement at the age of 27, I spent the majority of my time with patients who were old enough to be my grandparents.
They were lovely but we had zero in common. I had no war stories or grandkids and it made the isolation worse. But I knew that eventually I’d be going home and get to spend time with people my own age. Unfortunately, thousands of young Aussies don’t get that chance. They are living in care that’s not age-appropriate.
I first became aware of Youngcare following my own discharge from hospital where I stayed for over a year, the first time. I’d never thought about it until it happened to me but young people have such different objectives, interests and aspirations that can’t be considered if everyone’s lumped together with only care requirements in common.
Thank heavens for organisations like Youngcare who are changing this! I’ve been volunteering with them for over a decade and love their mission. I’ve visited some of the residential sites and always get goosebumps. If my brain didn’t haemorrhage right where it did, I could easily have been a Youngcare resident.
The other reason I get goosebumps is knowing how awesome that bit of independence and CONTROL over your life must feel for Youngcare’s residents.’
